Just picked up a peach of a 6.5-06. I have wanted one for years and this one is a gem. The question I have is why has no one commercialized it? Cheap brass, easy to load for, perfect capacity to bore ratio, and with the 6.5 craze where it is right now it just seems like a no-brainer. I thought maybe that was why Winchester let Norma steal the thunder on the 6.5x284, but now years later no 6.5-06 or Ackley introduction. Sure would be nice if Nosler would make the brass.

The only question it really answers is "how can I have something different just for the sake of being different?"

And don't just consider the 25-06, but also consider the 270Winchester and 280REM.

People disregard the popular cartridge/chamberings because they are common.

which is silly.

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The 6.5 hasn't ever been appealing to the N.A. market. The .260 works well and yet has lost it's thunder quickly. The Swede is a good performer but never been very popular. Given the trend I think the marketing people just don't want another flop.
I wanted to see a 6.5 SAUM or WSM but with a .270 WSM what would be the advantage?

I too think the 6.5-06 is a great gun, but I have .257" rifles, and recently came into a .270Win, and have had .30-06 since my teens. It's hard to find a need, but I understand the appeal.

IMO, the niche between the 270 and the 25/06 is just too small for it to be a commercial success.

Would be a fun wildcat to fool around with, however.

Not "silly" at all!

quote:

Originally posted by olarmy:
IMO, the niche between the 270 and the 25/06 is just too small for it to be a commercial success.

Would be a fun wildcat to fool around with, however.

Not "silly" at all!

There is a lot of truth here. In the 60s to the 90s I hunted west central Colorado. Lived in GJ. Amoung other rfles I also used the 6.5x.284 ( Kissing Cousin of the 6.5-06) and the 25-06 IMP. In my experience the 6.5 was really a step up in performance and versatility . The heavier bullets in the 6.5 put it in a different classification than the 25s. Non of this matters, however, in making the 6.5-06 a commercial success. It ain't to be. roger

Why? Because they do not make 140grains .257-bullets

Art Alphin in Any Shot you Want wrote something like "The 6.5-06 is what the .270 Win should have been".

I can agree with this, although I own a 270 and not a 6.5-06.

As others have said there isn't much a 6.5-06 can do that is very different from a .270. That doesn't mean there aren't reasons for one, but just not as many as would otherwise be the case.

quote:

It's hard to find a need, but I understand the appeal.

so very true.......excellent statement

Weaterby did introduce 6,506 Weatherby A-square in their rifles Norma made the cartridges. Looks like they dropped it.

6,5 06 is the most common wildcat in scandinavia.

quote:

Originally posted by Nordic2:
6,5 06 is the most common wildcat in scandinavia.

I really like the 6.5x65 too.

I have one in the AI version. I really like it for all the normal 6.5 reasons...easy to find accuracy in, easy to find powders for, very nice velocity, great assortment of bullets, etc. That being said, I would not do the AI again. I would just go for the straight 6.5-06.

There is a huge interest in 6.5s these days as the interest in long-range shooting grows. I think most 6.5 shooters are looking for a short action chambering, however, and that eliminates the 06.

Wouldn't the .260 be considered a 6.5-.308? What sort of reasonable performance would you get from a 6.5-06 compared to a .260?

The 6.5 really does offer a big advantage over the 25. It is negligible with the 270 in my opinion, but still has an advantage in trajectory and penetration at long range. The point is, it is better than both. I love the 260, but the short action really suffers in comparison to the 06 with the heavier bullets. I realize it's not to be, but it should have been. That said I am already really liking this rifle with 130 grain VLDs and 139 grain Scenars.

I can see why it's not domesticated especially with the old standard 6.5x55, the 260 rem and the recent additions 6.5 CR and 6.5 Lapua. Of course we can't forget the "darling" of the 6.5 crowd, the 6.5x284 Norma (which is a long action). I think the market is saturated. I think finding a rifle in 6.5-06 is a hell of a find. You duplicate the Norma round with cheap available brass.

I had an A-Square rifle in 6.5-06 for some time, and it was a death ray on Coyotes. But then again, there are probably several other calibers that would have done just as well.

It has essentially failed twice already (6.5 Rem Mag and the 6.5-06 A-Square). If the appeal is long range shooting, then the long '06 case is a major disadvantage. It has long been known that the shorter powder column is an advantrage in accuracy at long range - witness the donimation by the .308 over the '06 in long range competition. The 6.5-.284 and 6.5 Rem Mag have the case capacity to equal the 6.5-06 with the short powder column required for best long range accuracy, yet the latter struggles mightly to hand on. With the .25-06 and .270 so well entrenched I strongly doubt that the 6.5-06 would ever make it commercially.



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quote:

Originally posted by TX Nimrod:
It has essentially failed twice already (6.5 Rem Mag and the 6.5-06 A-Square). If the appeal is long range shooting, then the long '06 case is a major disadvantage. It has long been known that the shorter powder column is an advantrage in accuracy at long range - witness the donimation by the .308 over the '06 in long range competition. The 6.5-.284 and 6.5 Rem Mag have the case capacity to equal the 6.5-06 with the short powder column required for best long range accuracy, yet the latter struggles mightly to hand on. With the .25-06 and .270 so well entrenched I strongly doubt that the 6.5-06 would ever make it commercially..

All very true.

My personal perception is that to be commercially viable the 6.5x06 must have the same case length as the 270 Win and be loaded to the same 65K psi otherwise is would always underperform the 270 Win and therefore not be a viable alternative.

So...perhaps Nosler would do us a favor and offer an AI version of the 6.5x65 RWS cartridge - which would also compete with its 280 AI - and load it at 65K psi. This obviously wouldn't guarantee a commercial success but it would give a valid alternative to the 25-06 and 270 Win cartridges.

Just sayin.

quote:

Originally posted by sheephunterab:
There is a huge interest in 6.5s these days as the interest in long-range shooting grows. I think most 6.5 shooters are looking for a short action chambering, however, and that eliminates the 06.

The 6.5 Rem Mag went bust many many years ago....maybe it's time has come......as I understand, the 6.5 WSM is a fairly popular wildcat.

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

quote:

Originally posted by sheephunterab:
There is a huge interest in 6.5s these days as the interest in long-range shooting grows. I think most 6.5 shooters are looking for a short action chambering, however, and that eliminates the 06.

The 6.5 Rem Mag went bust many many years ago....maybe it's time has come......as I understand, the 6.5 WSM is a fairly popular wildcat.

Long range shooting is suddenly mainstream...as are the 6.5s......God bless television.

When I was looking for a rifle it was narrowed down to either the 6.5-06 or the .280AI. I opted to go with the 280AI. Honestly I think the 6.5-06 would have done everything the 280 could.

I think the reason the 6.5 Rem Mag failed was due to the fact they cut the chambers to shoot the 120gr bullet and only offered the 120 in factory ammo. With the longer bullets it required to either move to a longer action or take up to much room in the case.

I built a 6.5 Gibbs ( 6.5 on and IMP blown out 30-06 case) and about like everything else I tried I found it no better than a 270 Win. or a 30-06...As a matter of fact nothing within this catagory up to the 300 Wby beats a 30-06, just takes years of experimenting to convence most of us of that, did me!..

6,5 is mainstream on this side of the pond.

Its a huge overlap between most calibers.

I think the platform for the 6.5 Rem Mag was wrong, as was the 120gr bullet as mentioned. The barrels of the 600 were short and the rifles weren't great looking. I've heard of the 6.5 RM in more conventional rifles and performance out of longer barrels has been great. I've never owned one and probably never will, but on paper it's a pretty efficient cartridge and performance looks great to me.

Just a thought here, but it could very well depend on what all the gun magazine writers would have to say. They seem to be able to make or break a cartridge. If , all of a sudden, the majority of the gun writers all at once started singing the praises of the 6.5-06 and how it is the best thing since sliced bread (pardon the cliche), then a demand might just get started, especially if some nice rifles were brought out in it.
joe

I just looked at Nosler AB bullets in 140 grain in 264. 277, and 284 cal, the 264 has all of them beat, in both BC, and SD. I think the only reason the 6.5-06 doesn't get any press is no one has paid them to do so.

quote:

Originally posted by mad_jack02:
I just looked at Nosler AB bullets in 140 grain in 264. 277, and 284 cal, the 264 has all of them beat, in both BC, and SD. I think the only reason the 6.5-06 doesn't get any press is no one has paid them to do so.

I don't believe there is a critter alive that could tell the different between them after being hit by any of them.

P dog is 110% correct of that I have no doubt, in fact there is little differnce in any of our calibers from about the 250-3000 to the 30-06 as far as trajectory, it all measured in inches and under a 6 inch ruler or half that in most cases..As to killing power, if its a proper bullet and stuck in the right place the animals react about the same..I still like the 7x57 better!

quote:

P dog is 110% correct of that I have no doubt,

quote:

Originally posted by Joe R. Lock:
Just a thought here, but it could very well depend on what all the gun magazine writers would have to say. They seem to be able to make or break a cartridge. If , all of a sudden, the majority of the gun writers all at once started singing the praises of the 6.5-06 and how it is the best thing since sliced bread (pardon the cliche), then a demand might just get started, especially if some nice rifles were brought out in it.
joe

Truthfully, you need an ammo manufacturer and a rifle manufacturer to throw their support behind it for anything to be a commercial success. Getting SAMMI approval on a cartridge can be a fairly extensive process and without it nothing goes mainstream. This is why the Creedmoor is enjoying the success it is as are cartridges like the 375 Ruger. Writers write about what's new from manufacturers.

I've got a 6.5x06, love it! In truth though, my 6.5x55 can scare the pant's off of it. Only one reason to have one though, nobody within 50mi of me has one. There is nothing earth shattering about it and any ballistic advantage to the bullet's is cutting a pretty thin line. Any difference between it and the 6.5x284 is more imagined than real.

The real difference from the 6.5x284 is 75 cents a case that's it. It does better the short actions in ballistics and versatility and is easier on barrels and ears than the Win Mag. With Accubonds and RL22 I finally settled on a load and put 5 130 grainers in a hole the size of an oval dime. Then I got greedy and shot 5 more. 3 of the last 5 vanished into the hole, but 2 I pushed to open the group to about .65. These are running about 3050fps with zero pressure signs.

People can say what they want but it has always been my feeling that if the likes of O`Conner and Askins had gotten ahold of a 6.5/06 or even a good Swede before the 270 there would never have been a reason for the 270 Win. Maybe I got bad 270s along the way but all the ones I had were so-so in the accuracy dept and crappy in meat damage. If Newton hadn`t pissed off the NRA and gtten blackballed I wonder where we would be now? On my first trip to Kenya after Nam I carried a 458 WM and a 264. Used a 264 Win or some other 6.5 pretty much all the time except for the 25 Souper and 250 AI. I stuffed the 6.5 bullet into just about every case available over 40 years and liked them all. A few [6.5/404] weren`t worth the trouble but the 6.5-06 certainly was! I still have the original McGowen barreled one I used in Hawaii and it is a fine shooter with all weights from 100- 160. If you have a good shooting 6.5-06 Quintus~~~ Be HAPPY. It will do you right.
Aloha, Mark
P.S.! I have a 25-06 I made and love it too!

I have built several 6.5/.284's and a couple 6.5-06's. As far as accuracy go's, the 6.5/.284 probably has the edge. Do more to the style of rifle than the cartridge, BR verses hunter. When I'm asked I recommend the 6.5-06 for hunting because it usually will give less feeding problems. Twice I have been asked by customers "why isn't the 6.5-06 a standard round? It's so accurate." I'm in the process of building another for a customer. I think it is an overlooked cartridge. Better bullet selection than the 270 in my opinion......Tom

6.5-270 AI is the cats meow, you get a little more case capacity with the 270 with its shoulder moved forward, yeah i know, its nit picking but isnt that what we do????

270 and 30-06 have shoulder's in the same location. Perhaps you're thinking of the 280 whose shoulder is further forward?

That said, the 6,5x65 is very similar to a 6,5-280AI only better since it is based off the 9,3x62 case.

I think what Dominus may be talking about is the fact that when the 270 case is fireformed, the shoulder does move slightly forward at the edge of the case, but not at the neck. The 6.5-280AI has both forward of the 6.5-270AI. The 6.5-270AI is really the 6.5-06AI just using the 270 case rather than a 25-06 or 30-06, except with the longer neck of the 270.

I just wonder what it would do if someone brought it out and call it the 256 Newton? Darn near the same cartridge.

quote:

Originally posted by larrys:
I think what Dominus may be talking about is the fact that when the 270 case is fireformed, the shoulder does move slightly forward at the edge of the case, but not at the neck. The 6.5-280AI has both forward of the 6.5-270AI. The 6.5-270AI is really the 6.5-06AI just using the 270 case rather than a 25-06 or 30-06, except with the longer neck of the 270.

Yes, you've made my point for me. Thanks.